• Maintain and restore Coral Triangle marine biodiversity with “functional seascapes”: large-scale marine areas designed to conserve representative habitats and biodiversity in networks of no-take MPAs, and in which the coastal and marine zone surrounding the networks are managed sustainably.

• Design MPAs and MPA networks in ways toincrease the probability of marine biodiversitysurvival in the face of global climate change and coral bleaching, and other catastrophic events.

• Establish priority areas for MPAs on biodiversity grounds, but also consider the likelihood of success that generally requires critical local support.

• Initiate improved incentives for establishment, maintenance and enforcement of MPAs:

• Develop more fiscal incentives, such as creating conservation concessions

• Respond to government concerns for revenue loss from illegal fishing

• Demonstrate fishing benefits of MPAs to coastal communities

• Establish higher, but still commercially competitive, dive fees

• Communicate the results of cost-benefit analyses for different resource use options

• Respect the economic and subsistence needs of local communities

• Give greater roles to agents as a complement to those of central governments.

• Conduct more systematic biodiversity assessment and monitoring, including changes in biological composition as well as environmental condition of communities, and provide real time information to inform management responses.

• In December 2003, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines adopted the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), through the Putrajaya Declaration, as the region's common platform for achieving the goals and objectives of the World Summit on Sustainable Development Plan of Implementation and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals concerning sustainable coastal and ocean development. These countries committed to implement the priority targets of the SDS-SEA by: mobilizing resources, capacities and services; formulating and implementing national policies and action plans for sustainable coastal and ocean development in at least 70 percent of participating countries by 2015; and implement integrated coastal management (ICM) programs in at least 20 percent of the region's coasts by 2015 and promote regional partnerships in ICM capacity building.

Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (DSD SEA)

• In 2004, the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines adopted the Ecoregion Conservation Plan (ECP) for the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) during the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur. This set the stage for the full implementation of the SSME Program by the governments starting with the development of a network of MPAs in the ecoregion. The two-pronged goals for SSME are biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

• Conservation International is currently working in two seascapes within the Coral Triangle (Sulu-Sulawesi Seas and the Raja Ampat) to support adaptive and effective management of marine protected areas and the conservation of threatened marine species. The Seascapes program is committed to develop conservation strategies that are based on strong scientific and political frameworks.

Key Marine Regions

• Regional Action Plan to Strengthen a Resilient Network of Effective Marine Protected Areas in Southeast Asia: 2002-2012 supported and implemented by WCPA, TNC, CI and a suite of partners and governments in the region.

Regional Action Plan (RAP) to Strengthen a Resilient Network of Effective Marine Protected Areas in Southeast Asia

• The Nature Conservancy's Coral Triangle Center (CTC) is developing resilient networks of MPAs throughout the region using on-site conservation, technical support (i.e., science, training and communications) and policy.

The Coral Triangle Center

• WWF, on the other hand, developed its Action Plan based on the ECP focused on conserving priority areas in SSME. National organizations of WWF in Malaysia and the Philippines implement the Action Plan with partners. The SSME Coordination Unit complements country efforts by undertaking ecoregion level actions of transboundary nature and relevance.

WWF - Philippines